Hi people, welcome to The Run Testers and in this video we’re putting two pretty new daily trainers head to head. We’ve got the Saucony Ride 17 up against the ASICS Gel Nimbus 26.
These are two big stack daily trainers both offering soft, cushioned comfort aimed at your easy miles, recovery runs and longer efforts. The Nimbus 26 has some minor upgrades, the improved Ride 17 has been a hit with The Run Testers.
So which one is best? We’ve logged the miles to find out and we’re here to help you workout which shoe might suit your running better. Hit play for our ASICS Gel Nimbus 26 vs Saucony Ride 17 review.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:35 – Details: Price, Weight, Stack, Drop
1:19 – Shoe whip round
3:11 – Fit
4:45 – The Run Test
10:54 – Verdict
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Saucony Ride 17 (Sportsshoes.com):
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Hey people welcome to the Run testers And in this video we're picking two Pretty new daily trainers up against Each other going head-to-head we've got The saky ride 17 here up against the aex Joe Nimbus 26 these are two big stack Daily trainers that both offer soft Cushion comfort aimed at your easy miles Recovery runs and longer efforts the Nimbus 26 has some minor upgrades versus 25 the ride 17 has been a real hit with The Run tester so which one is best We've logged the miles to find out and We're here to help you decide which shoe Might suit your running better so watch On for our aex Joe Nimbus versus socer Ride 17 [Music] Head-to-head let's start with some quick Comparison details stack first the soc Ride 17 packs 35 Ms in the hill 27 Ms in The 4ot for an 8 mil drop the Nimbus 26 Has a much bigger stack with 42 Ms in The hill 34 in the 4 foot also for an 8 Mil drop when it comes to weight the Ride 17 tips the scales at 10.3 o or 293 G in our UK men's 8 and a half test shoe The nimus 26 comes in heavier at 11.1 Oz Or 314 G on price there's a big Difference here the nimus 26 are a chunk Price here £180 or $160 the ride 17 com In cheaper £135 or $140 now moving on to a quick shoe whip Round starting with the mids Souls then
Well the ride 17's midsole has a big but Not Max stack of the a power on plus Phone that's the same phone that you'll Find in the Triumph 21 in the ride 16 by Comparison had the regular power run Foam the nimus 26 midsole remains Largely the same as the 25 with a big Wide stack of flight foam blast Eco foam That's made with 20% biobased content It's tuned medium soft to soft but with A bit of rebound there's a famili a pure Gel heel insert here to it's a section Of sort of springy rebounding material Incorpor incorporated into the the Midsole to create soft cushion Landings Maximum Impact absorption as well you Also get a rocked midsole geometry that Aims to smooth transitions up top the Nimus 26 features new engineered stretch Knit uppers you got the same big padded Heel colors here as the last gen Stretchy knitted and gusseted tongues as Well there's also an update to the lace Eyelets with a more robust design that As6 says should create a more supportive Mid foot hold they ought to be more Durable too the ride 17 has engineered Mesh uppers as ever the socony says Those have been tweaked to improve Breathability specifically across the Toes but there's also quite notable big Perforations in the side walls here soy Says they've improved the midfoot wrap And created better lock down comfort in
The heel there are medium padded heel Colors on this one and a medium padded Gusseted tongue flip them over and You've got a bit more rubber on the ax That's now a hybrid of ax grip and ahar Rubber with these kind of little studs On there that have been introduced to Provide a better grip and improve on the 25 socer has got a particularly kind of Sort of well it's a sort of familiar Pattern here with their rubber that they Use on most of their shoes that's also Got these sort of little studs perhaps Not as much covering overall Though when it comes to fit I ran true To size in both shoes my regular running Shoe that's a UK and a half us 9 and a Half size and I'd recommend going Through to sizing both for the ride 17 I Found the fit spot on it's roomy but It's not baggy you get good heel hold And lock down across the midfoot there's Enough flex and wiggle them in the toe Box good security across the midfoot Without any restriction and I'd Recommend going through to size here With the ners 26 the padded heel collar Hold the heels well the tongues boost The plushness the uppers wrap quite Snugly but there's ample room in the toe Box and enough Flex here to for these Shoes to feel spacious I've got decent Lace locked down across the midfoot too But they're not as natural and as
Instantly disappearing on the foot in Terms of the fit as the soc rid 17 That's partly due though to the weight And the overall heft of the shoe so I no Concerns about the fit of E of these Shoes in my normal running shoe size I We a uk9 normally and that translates to A US 10 with both of these Brands and I Have the same size these shoes I've had Across the as6 and socony range and they Fit me really well good amount of room In the toe box nice comfortable hold and Secure hold around the heel and midf It's no concerns I think the gel nbus is A slightly roomier shoe of the two but There's not really much in it and I Would stick to your normal running shoe Size the only mining concern I would Have with the RO 17 is that these fabric Eyelets they have don't seem the Sturdiest to me I've actually ripped One Open pretty much my first run in the Shoe by putting the L tight and this is Not something I've ever done with any Other shoe so that's something to look Out for with the ride I don't really Love that eyelet design but I think it's Been okay with the other guys and if You're careful pulling your laces it Shouldn't be a problem but I've never Done it to any other shoe so I thought It was worth commenting on that I did Rip that eyelet Open now for run test then I'm closing
In on maybe 60 to 70 miles in the socony Ride 17 I've done around 45 in the Nimbus 26 a lot of slow easy miles some Faster efforts and on a mix of Road and Light Offroad the usual kind of stuff That we do when we're testing here I've Spent 90 minutes plus in the ride 17 as Well and I've bashed out a big fast Allout 5k in them as well now first up I Think both of these shoes are very Capable they're well built I love the Ride 17 from the moment I put them on Though and I found that they felt Natural easy disappearing on the foot It's a nicely balanced shoe the 17 the Power run plus foam works well there's a Softness that takes the edge off your Landings but it's not too sinky bites Back just at the right time and along With the rocker and the speed roll you Get smooth transitions in a shoe that's Got Great Clip along across a wide range Of Paces when it comes to Nimbus 26 Meanwhile this shoe oozes plus comfort You instantly know you're lacing up plus Shoes that prioritize Comfort over Speed And Agility the ride is largely the same Drill as Theus 25 loads of soft plush Comfort with a cradled footed that takes Almost all of the road out of each of Your foot strikes but it isn't Completely devoid of energy as well There's a lot of sink but there is a Little bounce too there's a stiffness to
The mids Sal as well part of I don't Know partly comes because of the outso Rubber that's there but I found the Transition somewhat disconnected I Didn't get the seamless roll through That I was hoping for from The Rocker And that new outso seems to make Everything very Slappy and that makes Them less comfortable I think than the 25 and the ride 17 no matter how you Running them now I've also done a side By side Mile with one shoe on each foot Here and this is what I found so I've Just done a side by side mile really Quickly then I've got the ride 177 on The left foot I've got the numers 26 on The right foot one of the key Differences here I said it between the Uh Nimbus and the Nova blast it's the Same deal here the fit and the hold and The security in the heel collars across The tongues across the midfoot is much Much tighter and more secure in the nasx GEL Nimbus it really holds the foot and Hugs the foot and you can feel that foot Security just below the ankle and into The hill it really really sort of clasps The Hill the ride 17 does a great job of Holding as well it's just not quite as Tight when it comes to the ride the First thing you notice instantly I think Here is the biggest stack that you've Got on the nimus 26 you can feel the Volume particularly under the ball of
The foot in the midfoot if you land mid To 4 foot like I do you'll notice that Engaging far more quickly socer ride 17 Has a bit more of a flat Landing don't Feel the the foam in a kind of almost Like it's almost having a slight Bowl Under the foot in the nimus I think Where a so R it's a little bit flatter There is roll there is rocking perhaps Not as extensive as you'll get on the Nimbus 26 in terms of the softness these Two shoes I think are on a par here and That gets really interesting because I Think most people are going to be Picking the Nimbus for their overall Cushion comfort for those long easy Efforts ride 17 can do that just as well I think and it's a much much cheaper Shoe overall the Comfort on the foot not A huge amount to choose I think I prefer The slightly roomier fit the ride 17 if You want a snugger more secure fit maybe Go for the Nimbus in terms of the energy And the Responsiveness and the lightness you Know you're packing less weight in the Ride 17 and I think that means that it's Going to have a lot more versatility Than the Nimbus 26 so when you get into Into those kind of ranges up towards Kind of marathon pace I think the ride 17 is going to do a better job the ners 26 I've said it a few times in different Videos we had on the channel I think
It's like a one gear shoe to me it's Best at those really easy miles I don't Think it's very good when you try and Get out of those so yeah but from a side Side perspective it's really interesting There's excellent comfort in both of These shoes actually I mean the funny Thing as well is that in every time I've Popped on one Nimbus 26 with another Shoe I've enjoyed it more than when I've Had two nimbuses on I don't know what That means but anyway I'll finish off This back in the office so I've L play Mils of both of these shoes and I have Enjoyed using them and I've used them Both basically as versatile daily Trainers as it happens I've used the G Numers for a range of runs mostly I'd View this as a cushioned Cruiser for Easy and long runs but I have done one Hard session in it during the course of My testing just cuz I had no other shoes Available actually but it was Interesting to go and do a hard session In the shoe ride 17 traditionally the Ride I think has been a allrounder shoe Quite a lightweight shoe the last couple Of versions that is a little bit less Cushioned than things like the ja Nimbus But latest version has adopted a lot of Features and setup from the Sak Triumph Line which I think is more of a m Cushion shoe I think the ride now is a Bit more equivalent to the GEL Nimbus 26
But I do think it retains a bit more Versatility than the atic for sure it's Comfortable no doubt about that but the Power run plus foam you have in the mid So here gives you a little bit more kind Of of a grounded feel but also just a Little bit more uh speed if you're going To go and try and use some fast runs in The shoe I think you can go and do some Fast runs in the ride I think it's a Reasonably accomplished all round for me I think it's still a bit heavy and not That great for fast runs to Sho that I Personally would use more for just easy Daily training but I think it's got a Bit more about it on this front than the GEL Nimbus 26 which I do feel really Just works for easy runs this latest Version like I did do a hard run in it I Didn't really enjoy it I was doing like A 2 Mile rep some farle and another one Mile rep and it just felt you know big And it takes a lot out of you to run Hard workouts in that kind of shoe Especially when geometry is geared Really much more for ticking along at an Easy Pace you don't really get a lot of Lift off from the shoe off your toe off Uh when you're trying to run fast in it Whereas the ride 17 does have a bit more Of that within its makeup like it is More of an allrounder more of a daily TR Trainer it's strayed now into quite Heavy territory and it's not one that I
Necessarily love as a daily trainer as a Result but I do think it has more about It on that front than the ja nimus 26 Another thing I noticed when I was Testing the two shoes is that the GEL Nimbus 26 latest version has got quite a Slappy sound to it with the new outs and I also think it creates a bit of Firmness underfoot that takes away some Of the Comfort on long runs or hard runs I noticed it in that session and on a Long run get a little bit of for foot Discomfort from the way it hits this new Outside which I think is quite hard ASX Says obviously been done to improve the Grip the grip is pretty good but I think You get better grip actually from the S Ride and the outside you have on this And it doesn't have that Slappy Sensation it has a bit more of a Smoother feel to it that means that I Didn't get any forfeit discomfort when Running a long run in this shoe for Example and it's another little tick in The rise 17's favor I'd say in the past I think these shoes have been quite Different in terms of how I'd have Viewed them with my run test has viewed The R7 as much more of a daily trainer I Think it is now more of a cushioned Comfortable shoe but it still has a bit More vity than the J 26 for Me verdict is an easy one for me I much Prefer the socon ride 17 it's a much
More balanced shoe there's much more Versatility in it and the way I run it Doesn't quite have the pillowy syn of The Nimbus 26 but it can cope happily With slower longer runs where Comfort is Key and then it's also pretty happy at Paces I think up to marathon pace as Well the Nimbus 26 for me at least can't Really get much out of first gear I tend To choose shoes that are less sort of Squishy anyway that feel like less shoe On the foot so if you want your easy Shoes super squishy ignore me and go for The Nimbus 26 but if you want a more Do-it all shoe and you can run in an Easy shoe that's a little less Marshmallow and more responsive then I Think the ride 17 is the one I'd Recommend it's much cheaper too now if You're dead set though on the Nimbus I Definitely recommend sticking with the 25 over the 26 they're available on Deals now and you're getting pretty much The same shoe couple of solid cushion Shoes here I think the R 17 inheriting So much from the Triumph really makes me View it as a slightly cheaper Triumph And and I like the triumph 21 more than The gel numers 25 and 26 and I like the R 17 a bit more than the gel numers 26 And it's a fair bit cheaper as well I Think for that you are getting a cushion Durable hardworking shoe that can handle A nice range of runs pretty well even if
It's not an absolute speed ster or one That I particularly enjoy doing fast Stuff in even compared to previous Versions of the shoe I do think it is a Shoe that can do those okay whereas a ja Numers 26 really doesn't feel like it's Got a lot of Versatility to me it feels Like a nice cushion shoe and that's Great but you're paying a lot of money For that so you can get a shoe like the Ride which I think does a great job of Those easy runs as well it is nice Comfortable shoe to cruise for easing in Long runs but then is a bit more Versatile is a bit lighter gives you a Bit more has a better geometry and a Better toe off to it if you are going to Do any kind of faster runs faster daily Training I think for me that makes it an Easy pick when comparing these two shoes So yeah I would get the ride 17 overall Myself I think it is the better all Round shoe and just as really as good For those easy runs as the ja Nimbus 26 And then a little bit cheaper as well so There you have it that has been our Head-to-head review of the soc ride 17 Versus the aex Joe nimus 26 I hope you Found it useful if you've running either Or both of these shoes feel free to hit Us up in the comments below with what You found about them helps the other Viewers out there choose the shoes as Well if you like what you saw don't
Forget to hit like subscribe ring that Bell do all of those things to be Notified when there's more content Coming up on the channel soon it also Really helps support the channel so we Can keep making the videos that Hopefully help you buy the right shoes If you're interested in more detail on Either of these shoes I'm going to pop Full review videos up on the channel Just about Now otherwise it's been a real pleasure To talk to you about these video about These videos about these shoes and yeah We hope to see you again soon on the run Test where I will probably be able to Speak in whole sentences thank you very Much for watching and happy running Everyone good luck with what you're Doing out there